U.S. Department of Commerce Features Poland as “Market of the Month” 

The Commerce Department website notes that “The United States and Poland enjoy a particularly close relationship which has fostered strategic and commercial cooperation. With close to 39 million people and a dynamic market economy, Poland offers substantial opportunities for U.S. business. Poland’s 2008 gross domestic product (GDP) is estimated at $420 billion. With multiple major cities, Poland is the largest market in Central and Eastern Europe.” (more)

Climate Change Comes to Poland

Ambassador Harlan L. Watson, Senior U.S. Envoy on Climate Change, traveled to Warsaw for the Ministry of Economy’s Summit on Sectoral Cooperation November 27-28, 2008.  The summit is a prelude to the U.N. Climate Change talks in Poznan December 1-12, and focuses on efforts to reduce carbon emissions in the energy intensive steel, cement and aluminum. (more)

Citius, Fortius, Altius!

Ambassador Victor Ashe hosted a luncheon reception at his residence on November 24 in honor of Poland’s Olympic Committee and its returning athletes from the Summer Olympic Games in Beijing.  Members of Poland’s Olympic Committee attended, along with numerous Polish Olympic medal winners -- not only from Beijing, but iconic figures such as Public TV Sports DirectorRobert Korzeniowski, who won four gold medals as a race-walker, and Olympian Irena Szewinska, now the Vice-President of Poland’s Olympic Committee. (more)

American Studies Center on Politics

Ambassador Victor Ashe took part in a panel discussion 11/27 organized by the American Studies Center at the University of Warsaw on the U.S. election and politics in America.  Center Director Dr. Tomasz Basiuk welcomed the Ambassador and moderated a panel that included Professor Clifford Bates, Jr., and Dr. David Jones.  The discussion was held at the university before faculty members and the student body, with an exchange that the Ambassador termed "lively and informative." (more)

Commandant of the U.S. Army War College Visits Poland

The Commandant of the Army War College, Major General Robert Williams, visited Warsaw from 25 to 29 November 2008.  As a part of his visit, Major General Williams participated in the “Iraq 2003-2008: Mission for Peace” conference at Poland’s Academy of National Defense, during which he conducted a presentation on American assessments of the stability operation. In his talk, he explained that, after the surge established the necessary conditions for stability, the American military has been able to focus greater efforts on training the Iraqi security forces, which are now able to take ever greater responsibility for their nation’s security.  (more)

Thanksgiving is a time for families and friends to gather together and express gratitude for all that we have been given, the freedoms we enjoy, and the loved ones who enrich our lives. We recognize that all of these blessings, and life itself, come not from the hand of man but from Almighty God. Every Thanksgiving, we remember the story of the Pilgrims who came to America in search of religious freedom and a better life. Having arrived in the New World, these early settlers gave thanks to the Author of Life for granting them safe passage to this abundant land and protecting them through a bitter winter. Today, as we look back on the beginnings of our democracy, Americans recall that we live in a land of many blessings where every person has the right to live, work, and worship in freedom. (more)

Polish Veteran of U.S. Marines in Afghanistan Awarded Posthumous Purple Heart

Dawid Pietrek, a Polish citizen, was posthumously honored in a ceremony at the U.S. Embassy in Warsaw November 19, 2008, during which Ambassador Victor Ashe and the U.S. Marine Guard Detachment honored his service in the U.S. Marines in Afghanistan. Private First Class Pietrek had volunteered for duty in June 2007 after emigrating to the United States in 2005. He died in action on June 14, 2008, in Afghanistan and was buried with full military honors in Arlington National Cemetery on July 1, where his mother received a certificate of his being granted U.S. citizenship. (more) 

United States Soybean Export Council Chairman Visits Poland

Mr. Scott Fritz, Chairman of the United States Soybean Export Council, a board member of the American Soybean Association’s International Marketing Committee and owner of a large soybean farm in Winamac, Indiana visited Ambassador Victor Ashe on November 24 in Warsaw, Poland.  Mr. Fritz is in Poland to meet with Polish farmers and agriculturalists and share the promise and potential of soybeans and agricultural biotechnology for Poland. (more)

Foreign Minister Sikorski in Washington, Met With Secretary Rice

 
Foreign Minister Radek Sikorski met with U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice on Thursday afternoon, November 20 in Washington to discuss mutual concerns of Poland and the United States, Public Affairs Officer Andrew Schilling said. The Foreign Minister is in Washington for three days. Press reports that he will also meet with advisors to President-elect Barack Obama. Other meetings include those with Former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright and former Deputy Secretary of State Strobe Talbott. (more)

Fulbrighter aims to promote cultural understanding through music

American Fulbrighter Michael Pecak performed a solo piano recital at the U.S. Ambassador’s residence Wednesday evening, November 19, as an initial cultural offering in the Embassy’s commemoration of the 90 year anniversary of U.S.-Polish diplomatic relations. The hour-long recital featured works by Haydn, Chopin and the contemporary Polish composer Grazyna Bacewicz.   Ambassador Ashe noted that as an American born musician of Polish descent, “…Michael Pecak (PET-sak) embodies the vibrant human and cultural connections between our two nations. (more)

Polish Air Force Aircrews Complete Training In Nashville, Tennessee

Poland’s first two C-130E Hercules aircrews recently completed 11 weeks of C-130E flight training in the United States, and will soon return to Poland, announced Col. Tim Burke of the Embassy’s Office of Defense Cooperation.  The flight training was conducted in Nashville by the 118th Airlift Wing, a unit of the Tennessee Air National Guard.  Classroom and flight simulator training as well as maintenance training was also conducted at Little Rock Air Force Base, Arkansas.  Poland will receive 5 refurbished and upgraded C-130E Hercules aircraft, with the aircraft and training being financed by $98.5 million dollars in grant money under the Foreign Military Financing program. (more) 

Kosciuszko Chair of Polish Studies inaugurated in Washington

On November 7, 2008, the Washinngton-based Institute of World Politics formally inaugurated the Kosciuszko Chair of Polish Studies. The first holder of the Kosciuszko Chair at IWP will be Professor Marek Jan Chodakiewicz. The Chair will teach about Poland'd culture, history, and politics; it was endowed by the American Institute of Polish Culture. (more)

The U.S. Embassy Warsaw Speakers Bureau is excited to announce three major topics for 2009.  Diplomats from the U.S. Embassy are available to visit your school or institution throughout Poland to speak on the following subjects:
* Celebrating 90 Years of Polish-American Diplomatic Relations
* EducationUSA: Opportunities for study in the United States
* Zapraszamy: Visas, work, and travel in the U.S.

Click here for more information about these new programs and how to request a speaker.  

Democracy Video Challenge

Tell us what democracy is to you and win an all-expenses-paid trip to Washington DC, New York, and Los Angeles!  The U.S. Department of State and YouTube invite you to submit your short video that completes the phrase "Democracy is…" between now and 31 January 2009.  The winners of the global video challenge -- one from each continent -- will travel to the United States.  If your video is chosen, you will see your creation on the big screen at gala events in all three cities.  You will also have the chance to meet with filmmakers, democracy activists, and other people who want to hear your story. (more)